Combination lock



Patented Jan. 18, 1927.

unites stares 1,614,469 PATENT CEFEFEFEE LUDWIG HALLER, or YonKERs, New YORK.

. COMBINATION LOOK.

Application filed February The present invention relates to looks and particularly to combination locks, and one object of the invention is to provide a combination lock for boxes such as are used for containing jewelry, securities and other valuables.

Another object is to provide a combination lock which may be used with any kind of box, container or other form'of enclosing means having a body or main portion and a lid, door or other closure member which is adapted for carrying a bolt slidably engageable with an eye or socket secured to the main or body portion, the bolt being movable to locking or unlocking position by a gear se ment appurtenant to said body or main portion and manually operated in ac cordance with a predetermined combination of suitable indicating characters.

An illustrative embodiment of the inven tion is shown in the accompanying drawing and is described by way of example in the subjoined specification.

In the drax'ving, Fig; 1 is a perspective- View of a box and the lock operatively connected thereto, the box being open and unlocked.

Fig. 2 is a fragmental sectional view of the look and a portion of the box and its lid, the box being closed and locked.

l ig. 3 is a view on the line of Fig. 2, a portion of the lid being removed for exposing the bolt and eye.

Fig. 1 is a fragmental detail view showing a gear segment of the lock and the means for preventing at times rotation of the gear segment.

Fig. 5 is a view of the lock housing as seen from above, and

Fig. 6 is an edge View, partly in section of an intermediate or middle pin-carrying ring forming part of the invention, the ring be ing shown broken for convenience of illustration.

Similar reference characters denote similar parts throughout the several views.

The invention comprises in its main parts or elements the combination and gear portion generally denoted by 10, the bolt 11,

and the eye 12.

The combination and gear portion 10 comprises the housing 13, Fig. 2, open at its top to provide space for the gear segment 14, and having near its front edge the outstanding flange 15 providing the annular rabbet 16 wherein the front wall 17 of the box is 25, 1925. Serial No. 11,503.

received when the housing 13 is inserted in a suitable opening in the present instance circular, cutthrough the front wall.

The faceplate ring 18 at its edges overlaps this opening and provides an opening for receiving the pin-carrying rings later described, and is secured at its edges to the housing 13 in any well known manner, such as by rivets, not shown, passing through the face-plate ring and through the side wall 16 and flange 15 the rivets preferably being concealed or rendered invisible in a well known manner. The face-plate ring 18 is provided on its outer surface with numerals or other suitable characters indicated by the parallel lines 19, for forming parts of combinations for operating the lock.

A series of interlocking pin-carrying rings is arranged in the opening provided by the face-plate ring 18, these rings consisting of an outer ring 20, an intermediate ring 21 and an inner ring 22.

The outer pin-carrying ring 20 has on its outer side the annular rabbet 23, the ring at its peripheral edges being received in the recess formed by the inner circumferential portion 21 of the face-plate ring 18 and an extension 25 of the flange 15 of the housing 13, and in 'a recess formed between the shoulder 26 of the housing and said inner circumferential portion 2 1, and is provided on its inner surface with the pin 27. The ring 20 has on its outer face numerals or other suitable characters indicated by the parallel lines 19 for forming parts of combinations for operating the lock.

The intermediate pin-carrying ring 21, Figs. 2 and G, has on its inner side the annular ralibet 28 in which on one side of the ring the body portion of the ring 20 adjacent to the rabbet 23 thereof is interlockingly received- The ring 21 has secured to its inner surface the annular plate 29 which extends over circumferential portions of the outer ring 20 and inner ring 22 for reinforcing these rings and retaining the pin-carrying rings in interlocking engagement. The ring 21 has on its inner surface and extending through the plate 29 the pin 30, and has on its outer face numerals or other suitable characters indicated by the parallel lines 19 for forming parts of combinations for operatingthe lock.

The inner pin-carrying ring 22 has on its outer side the rabbet 31 in which the body portion of the intermediate ring adjacent to the rabbet 28 thereof is interlockingly received while the body portion of the ring 2 adjacent to the rabbet 31 thereof is interlochingly received in the rabbet 28 of the intermediate ring on that side of the intermediate ring. The inner ring 22 has on its inner surface the pin 32, and has on its outer face numerals or other suitable characters indicated by the parallel lines 19 for forming parts of combinations for operating the lock The inner ring 22 has the aperture 33 therethrough connnunieating with tie recess 34 on the inner side of the ring, the purpose of this recess being later stated. The aperture 33 provides a bearing for the rotatable spindle 35 at one end thereot', the spindle at its other end bearing in an ap rture 35 in the housing 13, and turn ing loosely on its bearings, the spindle having an extended end tor permitting outward and inward movement of the spindle on its bearings.

it will be noted that the pin-carrying rings are supported by the spindle 35 in interlocking relation and are independently rotatable in either direction around the spindle.

Each pin-carrying ring is provided on its outer :lace with means for manually rotating the ring, the means shown being a hole such 36 wherein a suitable implenmnt, the point oi. a nail, or even the point of a lead pencil, may be inserted for thereby rotating the ring. But may be readily understood instead of a hole each ring may have on its outer surface a small projection or boss by which the ring may be manually rotated.

The gear segment 1% is fixed on the spindle 35 and extends through the opening of the housing 13, and has atone end the. teeth 37 which extend slightly above the side wall of the box "for the purpose later stated. The gear segment is provided with the apertures 38 so arranged that a respective pin of a pin-carrying ring may be cursed by rotation of the ring to engage in the aperture 38 registering therewith when the segment is in forward position adjacent to the pin-carrying rings. The gear segn'lent has in its side edges slots 39 and in which pins 4-1 and 42 secured in the housing 13 engage when the gear segment is moved, inwardly. and thereby prevent rotation of the gear segment when in this position. The gear segment is spaced away from the housing 13 by the hub fixed on the spindle 35, and is normally spaced away from the inner sides of the pin-carrying rings by the spring ll arranged around the spindle and seated in the recess ill.

The spindle has thereon the stop plate 45 outwardly of the pincarrying rin s and normally in contact therewith, and is pro \ided with a suitable handle 46 for drawing the spindle outwardly and inwardly.

The lid of the box at the edge of its front side is provided with bored extensions 4-6 and ll, or other suitable means, in which the bolt ll is rcceived for sliding movement, the throw ol the bolt being limited by the stop collars 4-8 and 4S) and the bolt having at one end thereof annular grooves 50 and 51 with which the spring pressed detent engages for retaining the bolt in locked or unlocked po' tion, the opposite end of the bolt being ergageable when the lid is closed in the eye or SOCl-ldll 53 secured to the inner side ol the box: at one end thereof for retaining the lid closed. The bolt 11 is provided with the racl: teeth 5%- arranged for non; therewith oi the teeth 37 of the gn. nt when the gear segment is irzzwn ii -vard with the. spindle 35 and the closed, whereby the bolt is movable in opposite directions by rotation of the gear segment To operate the lock for locking, the lid of the box being closed andth bolt in unlocking position, the proper combination is formed by rotating the pin-carrying rings, the gear segment is drawn forwardly so that the pins of the rings engage in the apertures of the gear segment and the teeth of the gear segment engage the rack teeth ol the bolt, the gear segment rotated to the left whereby the bolt is slidably moved to the left into engagement with the locking eye on the box and so held by the springpressed detent, the gear segment is pushed inwardly out of engagement with the bolt. and so held by the spring on the spindle, the pins of the housing then engaging the slots of the segment and preventing its rotation while in this position, and the arrangement of the combination is destroyed by separately rotating the pin-carrying rings.

To unlock, the proper combination being found by rotating the pin-carrying rings the gear se 'ment is drawn forvard until the pins of the rings engage in the apertures of the gear segment and the gear ment engages the bolt, the gear segment is rotated to the right and the bolt is thereby slidably moved to the right and out oi engagement with the lockingeve and is held in unlocked position by the spring pressed detent.

Having thus described my invnlion, it should be understood that there {may modifications thereof and variations therein without de iartiug from the spirit of the invention. or excce ing the scope of the appended claims,

What l claim and desire to protect by Letters Pa out is:

l. The combination with enclosing means comprising! a main portion having walls and a closure member movable from open to 1 (iii closing position, of a lock comprising retention means appurtenant to said main portion, a bolt appurtenant to the closure member and movable for engagement with or disengagement from said retention means when the closure member is in closing position, means for moving the bolt supported near a wall of the main portion and movable towards or away from the wall, means for moving the movable means towards or away from the wall for bringing the movable means into or out of coactive relation with the bolt when the closure member is in closing ])0Slti0n, means for maintaining said movable means in position for coacting with the bolt when moved towards said wall, and characters appurtenant to the last mentioned means for forming combinations for indicating the manner of operating the last mentioned means.

2. The combination with enclosing means comprising a main portion having walls and a closure member movable from open to closing position, of a lock comprising retention means appurtenant to said main portion, a bolt appurtenant to the closure me1nher and movable for engagement with or disengagement from said retention means when the closure member is in closing position, means for moving the bolt supported near a wall of the main portion and movable towards or away from the wall, means for moving the movable means towards or away from the wall for bringing the movable means into or out of coactive relation with the bolt when the closure member is in closing position, means for maintaining said movable means in position for coacting with the bolt when moved towards said wall, characters appurtenant to the last mentioned means for forming combinations for inclicating the manner of operating the last mentioned means, and means for maintaining said movable means stationary and out of coacting relation with the bolt when the movable means is moved away from said wall.

3. The combination with a box having a lid movable from open to closing position, of a lock comprising an eye mounted on the box, a bolt mounted on the lid and movably ngageable with said eye when the lid is closed and having rack teeth, a rotatable gear supported near a wall of the box and movable towards or away from the wall, means for moving the gear towards or away from the wall for bringing the teeth thereof into or out of engagement with said rack teeth and for rotating the gear, means for maintaining the gear in position of engagen'ient of the teeth thereof with said rack teeth when the gear is moved towards the wall and rotated, and characters appurtenant to the last mentioned means for forming combinations for indicating the manner of operating the last mentioned means.

l. Thecombination with a box having a lid movable from open to closing position of a lock comprising an eye mounted on the box, a bolt mounted on the lid and movably engageable with said eye when the lid is closed and having rack teeth, rotatable gear supported near a wall of the box and movable towards or away from the wall, means for moving the gear towards or away from the wall for bringing the teeth thereof into or out of engagement with said rack teeth and for rotating the gear, means for maintaining the gear in position of engagement of the teeth thereof with said rack teeth when the gear is moved towards the wall and rotated, characters appurtenant to the last mentioned means for forming combinations for indicating the manner of operating the last mentioned means, and means for maintaining the gear stationary and in position of disengagement of the teeth thereof from said rack teeth when the gear is moved away from the wall.

5. In a lock of the chara ter described, in combination, a slidably movable bolt having rack teeth, a rotatable spindle supported for slidable movement towards or away from the face of the look, a gear segment fixed on said spindle and having apertures therein means for slidably moving the spindle towards or away from said face for bringing the teeth of the gear segment into or out of engagement with said rack teeth and for rotating the spindle, and outer intermediate and inner rings supported by the spindle and separately rotatable around the spindle and having pins for engaging in the apertures of the gear segment for maintaining the gear segment in position of engagement of the teeth thereof with said rack teeth when the spindle is slidably moved towards said face and rotated.

6. In a lock of the character described, in combination, a slidably movable bolt having rack teeth, a rotatable spindle supported for slidable movement towards or away from the face of the lock, a gear segment fixed on said spindle and having apertures therein, means for slidably moving the spindle towards or away from said face for bringing the teeth of the gear segment into or out of engagement with said rack teeth and for rotating the spindle, outer, intermediate and inner rings supported by the spindle and separately rotatable around the spindle and having pins for engaging in the apertures of the gear segment for maintaining the gear segment in position of engagement of the teeth thereof with said rack teeth when the spindle is slidably moved towards said face and rotated, and characters on said rings for forming combinations for indicating the manner of rotating the rings for engaging the pins thereof in the apertures of the gear segment.

7 In a lock of the character described, in combination, a movable bolt, means for moving the bolt and movable to and from position for coacting with the bolt and having apertures therein, means for normally maintaining the positionably movable means out of position for coaoting with the bolt, and means for maintaining the positionably movable means ineoaeting position and consisting of rotatable rings provided with pins engageable in said apertures when the positionably movable means is moved from normal position to position for eoacting with the bolt, the pins being disengageable from sald apertures when the positionably movable means is moved to normal position by the first mentioned maintaining means after movement ot the bolt.

LUDlVIG HALLER. 

